1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a process for the removal of volatile compounds from reactive or unreactive mixtures of substances.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Film evaporators are conventionally used in industry for evaporating volatile substances from unreactive, heat-sensitive mixtures of substances. Examples include helical coil-type evaporators, falling-film evaporators and centrifugal evaporators. In helical coil-type evaporators the product is often overheated, especially if the evaporator is operated with a pressure maintained at the outlet. In falling-film or centrifugal evaporators, relatively large film thicknesses of up to 1 mm and up to 0.1 mm respectively are achieved, which have an unfavourable influence on mass and heat transfer and thus require a longer residence time.
A microstructured evaporator coupled to a ceramic combustion chamber, the microstructured evaporator intensifying the heat transfer from the combustion products to the surfaces of the combustion chamber, is known from M. K. Drost, Ch. Call, J. Cuta, R. Wegeng, Microchannel combustor/evaporator thermal processes, Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, 1:321-332, 1997. Microstructured evaporators for evaporating volatile compounds from multicomponent mixtures having an evaporating efficiency in the region of several kg/h or more are not described therein.
The object underlying the invention is to remove volatile substances from mixtures of substances which under operating conditions are of low viscosity, under gentle conditions, i.e. at the lowest temperature, with the shortest residence time and with the narrowest residence time distribution possible.